Carriers are built with layers of armor, watertight compartments, and reinforced bulkheads. Even if directly hit, plenty of redundancies would keep it afloat.
Every type of aircraft carrier in the U.S. Navy are among the largest and most resilient warships ever constructed. A Nimitz-class carrier displaces over 100,000 tons and measures more than 1,000 feet in length. The newer Ford-class carrier, while roughly the same size, is even more advanced. The immense size of the biggest aircraft carriers in the world gives them durability, but survivability goes much deeper. Carriers are built with multiple layers of armor, watertight compartments, and reinforced bulkheads.
Even if a torpedo or missile breaches the hull, the design allows the crew to seal off affected compartments to keep the ship afloat. A 2005 Navy test using the decommissioned USS America demonstrated this strength, enduring nearly four weeks of explosive testing before it was finally scuttled by demolition teams.
That trial proved how hard it is to sink American aircraft carriers outright. Damage may disable some systems, but redundancy is built into almost every critical function. Power can be rerouted, propulsion systems have backups, and weapons storage is carefully protected to prevent catastrophic chain reactions.
